Europe, and the US needs to stay out of this war zone. This situation is not a European nor US responsibility. The Syrian conflict is not just a civil war. More accurate and factual reporting could allow for a better understanding globally, and perhaps within the Middle East. The Syrian war zones are a Middle-Eastern tragedy that the Middle Eastern nations need to resolve.

A great article that highlights the key challenges for Western security emerging out of Russian and Syrian aggression out of Aleppo. The problem with the article is that it does not provide any real answers how to respond. The author says, lets draw a red line and if Moscow crosses it, we'll do more of the same - more sanctions and more diplomacy. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. The reason why Aleppo is being bombed now by Russian and Syrian warplanes is because Moscow and Damascus show utter contempt for Western diplomacy and sanctions. Threatening to do more of the same will achieve absolutely nothing.

A better approach, though a higher risk option, would be a combination of an imposed no fly zone and deterrence of Russian attacks. This means military power comes on to the table, and with it, the risk that escalation - either deliberate or inadvertent - could be a factor. But would Russia really be prepared to risk a substantial military defeat in the Middle East over Bashar Al Assad? I don't think so.

Simply threatening to do more of what we've done in the past is not going to stop this carnage. Russia and Syria will continue to bomb - and where then do we draw the line? Large scale chemical weapons attacks? If the West wants to avoid the carnage in Aleppo being repeated in Kiev or against the Baltics it needs to take a stand here - but more talk and ineffective sanctions is not the answer.

It is important to remember that the reason Obama did not follow through the "red line" is because there was only one ally (France) which supported military intervention. Even American citizens did not want to get involved.

Levy's analysis is infantile. Worthless words. Hollow. He was one of the cheerleaders for destroying Libya - under false pretences. He has no credability and is often facutually incorrect. It was never proven Assad used chemical weapons and crossed a red line - because he didn't. He should read the attached article, and educate himself.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/02/rfk-jr-why-arabs-dont-trust-america-213601

The duality Europe - Russia laid out by the author is a little bit difficult to understand as the E.U. has roughly the same surface than that of the european part of Russia. The notion of the non-intervention of the world is also difficult to understand, as Syria is benefitting from the direct intervention of Iran, Irak, Russia, China, that have an aggregate population of more than double that of the Nato zone. The USA have their own problems, e.g. extra-judicial killings of unarmed black african americans by the state police forces, just like the EU also have their own problems, e.g. as shown in the french study "trajectoires et origines" that points to the presence in post-nazi, post-colonial western Europe, of a vicious culture of informal but murderous white suprematism at all levels of society.

"I mean, of course, the regime in Damascus, which years ago we should have begun to deal with as we dealt with Muammar el-Qaddafi’s regime."
Before we interfered in that country, the average population had:
- Hospitals and doctors
- Jobs
- Schools
- Social security
- Safety (unless they opposed the regime)
They didn't have:
- Political freedom
Now, they have none of the above. I don't exactly think that is something to be proud of, or something we should do to other countries...

Mr. LEVY must have short memory how this war had began and who had initiated this war to introduce DEMOCRACY. I would like to kindly remind Mr. Levy that they were Saudi Arabian, Qatar and Turkey were determined to change the system to introduce the DEMOCRACY in Syria. This fact speaks for itself that Mr Levy, unfortunately, is not capable of analysing the situation to suggest the right solutions. The other fact I would like to remind Mr. Levy is that it has been the technical power of weapons and war conditions that have caused this much economic, cultural, social, and human lives. The EU, America, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia established an illegal army (called Free Syrian Army) to fight against a legal, well established state with all types of weapons. So distraction became inevitable through created war conditions. The country are now seeking a political solution could/should have done in the beginning instead of believing that they could defeat Assad in four weeks as they didi in Libya, where there is no peace either.

Mr. Levy is obviously free to go and fight against the Assad-regime. He has relevant 'experience' in the fight against Gaddafi. He does not speak for anybody but himself. If all the nameless and faceless forces who have been fighting against the Assad regime since 2011 without any real chance to win, to topple the regime and to build a better Syria, just stopped the fighting, then the Assad-regime will stop the bombing. If there were any respectable force against the Assad regime, politically and militarily, then there would be a government in exile, there would be real people with names and with ideas. There is nothing. This is also the obvious explanation why not enough Syrians are willing to join the fight against the regime in their home country, despite all possible support from Saudi Arabia and the USA. Tragic as it is for the people of Syria, but Moscow, Teheran and Ankara on one side and Riyad, Qatar and Washington on the other, can bankroll the war to the last Syrian, or until the fighting parties stop from exhaustion.

Just to remind you Mr.Bernard that the so called opposition forces ( ISIS & AlNusra Front terrorist fighters ) refused the US - Russian peace truce last week. In the meantime , Libya becomes the world's most dangerous & devastated country in the world ! Qaddafi was a bad leader but did your intervention in Libya produce a new stable democracy ? I don't think so . If you wanna stop the awful war in Syria , you must be a realistic and you must be fair as well. However , both countries Russia and the US don't want any solution right now as they wanna make sure that their strategic interests have been preserved , after that they might find solution with / without Assad ! The protection of the Syrian regime by Russia as you assume is not priority at all .

You do know that the syrian forces are bombarding not the inhabitants of Aleppo, but the islamofascist foreigners, who took over a small part in the east of the city two or three years ago? Who have been shelling the civilians with mortar bombs and gas canisters all these years? Who took the inhabitants of east Aleppo hostage and shoot everyone who tries to flee? Who invent doctors, usually pediatric doctors, just to claim they died in the last bomb raid and who would be magically resurrected a few weeks later? Who probably destroyed that aid convoy a few days ago?
You do know that you are either falling for a propaganda campaign or are intentionally supporting people who want to establish a religious terror regime, after the genocided all non-believers and apostates?

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